Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russian presidency's summer headquarters in Sochi.

“We discussed many issues that are of interest to the two countries, especially the economic issues... We also discussed Russia’s military assistance to Lebanon and ways to develop this relation and facilitate the purchase of Russian equipment through a credit line,” Hariri said after the talks.

“We discussed the situation in the region and agreed on many things and we are in the process of developing the political and economic relation for the benefit of the two countries,” he added.

Asked whether he asked Putin to help in the issue of delineating and demarcating the border between Lebanon and Syria, Hariri said: “We discussed several issues and touched on this issue briefly. The focus for me was on ways to develop our economic relations.”

As for the issue of preserving Lebanon’s “neutrality”, the premier said: “President Putin supports this very much, especially since Lebanon has been able to protect itself from all the repercussions of what is happening around it. It has shown that the path to stability is political understanding.”

“When a political solution is reached in Syria, Lebanon may be a hub for the reconstruction of Syria,” Hariri added.

President Michel Aoun held talks Thursday in New York with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the U.N. General Assembly, shortly after Aoun's speech before the world…

President Michel Aoun stressed Thursday in his maiden speech before the U.N. General Assembly that Lebanon will not allow the naturalization of any Syrian or Palestinian refugee on its soil “no matter what that might cost.”
“The decision in this regard belongs to us and not to anyone else,” Aoun underli…

President Michel Aoun stressed Thursday in his maiden speech before the U.N. General Assembly that Lebanon will not allow the naturalization of any Syrian or Palestinian refugee on its soil “no matter what that might cost.” “The decision in this regard belongs to us and not to anyone else,” Aoun underlined. Noting that the Syrian state is now in control of “85 percent of its territory,” the president emphasized that “there is an urgent need to organize the return of refugees to their…

Higher Islamic Shiite Council chief Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan on Thursday condemned calls for “naturalizing” Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
“We condemn every call and effort to naturalize the Palestinians and we also deplore the call for naturalizing Syrian refugees,” said Qabalan in a statement marking the first of Muharram, in an apparent reference to recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump…